Tobacco smuggling: Thai task force apprehends smuggler in 2 million baht contraband case

In a determined pursuit, Thailand’s anti-smuggling task force has apprehended a significant fugitive from the south involved in a tobacco smuggling case. The arrest came after they confiscated 19 crates of smuggled cigarettes worth approximately 2 million baht. Yesterday, Police Major General Montri Thetkhan led the operation along with the team, intercepting Tiwa, a 43 years old suspect, implicated in a court case filed in December by the Satun Province court.

Excerpts from the court verdict highlight that Tiwa stands accused of colluding in the concealment, warehousing and distribution of contraband goods that were illicitly imported into the kingdom without passing custom formalities.

The arrest occurred outside a residential compound situated in Tha Champee Subdistrict, Mueang Phayao District, Phayao Province.

The knack for detail in the tobacco smuggling investigation originated from an incident in 2018 when officers seized an operation that smuggled counterfeit cigarettes. In the course of this enforcement, they successfully captured two suspects and confiscated 19 crates of counterfeit cigarettes with an approximate market value exceeding 2 million baht. 

by Nattapong Westwood 

Photo courtesy of corangamite.vic.gov.au

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/major-tobacco-smuggler-apprehended-by-thai-task-force-in-2-million-baht-contraband-case-2

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